Bill O’Brien dismisses rumors that he will be leaving Texans after win vs. Raiders

It was believed that Bill O’Brien could be coaching his last game with the Houston Texans on Saturday, with reports saying that if his team lost, he would be fired.

On Saturday, the Texans had a pretty easy time with the Raiders, who were down to their third-string quarterback. With the 27-14 win, O’Brien now has his squad in the AFC’s Divisional Round.

After the game, Texans owner Bob McNair assured reporters that he wouldn’t be firing O’Brien:

O’Brien also dismissed the rumors after the game.

“I have a five-year contract. I have two years left,” he said. “I’m looking forward to coaching here and I’m looking forward to getting ready for this next game.”

A loss against the Raiders starting a third-string quarterback would have been bad for O’Brien, without question. But his team handled them well, and it never appeared the game was out of reach.

ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio said after the game that O’Brien has been the unhappy one in this situation, and not the organization. He’s an offensive-minded coach, and the offense hasn’t been well since he’s been there, especially this season.

With six head coaching jobs open around the league, O’Brien would have plenty of options in trying to help turn around another franchise. So, while he dismissed any reports of tensions, it doesn’t seem like a sure thing that he will be back in Houston next season.

The Texans want O’Brien back, and everybody is saying that he will be. Yet if O’Brien wants out, we’ll have to wait at least one more game to find out for sure.